


An Innocent Bystander

by Avon7



Category: Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-02
Updated: 2015-10-02
Packaged: 2018-04-24 09:44:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4914712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Avon7/pseuds/Avon7
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All Ivan has ever wanted to be is an innocent bystander. A double drabble.  Characters belong to Lois McMaster Bujold - I'm just borrowing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Innocent Bystander

__

"Do you consider yourself an innocent bystander?"  
"God knows I try to be," sighed Ivan.  
Memory, LM Bujold.

Trying to be an innocent bystander isn’t a very lofty ambition, but once you’re within 20 miles of Miles, it seems to become an impossible one. Might as well stand by the Academy fountain in your best uniform on an end-of-term Saturday and expect to stay dry.

I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t following Miles somewhere I didn’t want to be. Of course, as a kid I didn’t follow – I just _went_. I wound up floundering in a radioactive lake, up a cliff with eagles attacking and trapped in Uncle Aral’s dress uniform closet. What else could I do? He couldn’t even walk. 

Now we’re older and there’s not much he can’t do, but somehow he still seems to need me. He needs an alibi or a uniformed escort or a glider flown somewhere no sane person would fly or official information unofficially obtained or ‘your wonderfully bovinely reassuring presence, cousin’.

I’ve told him that I’m having carved on my grave ‘This is all Miles’ fault’, but Aunt Cordelia is the only person who will ever believe that. 

Reluctantly, I look up to meet Admiral Vormerrin’s furious glare. 

“No, sir, I can’t explain how the goat got there.”


End file.
